You can make your own HFTs for about $1 each instead of buying them from Synergistic Research for $300 for a 5-pack. HFTs are actually resonators, not transducers. |
Sand boxes on top of and under components.Dirt cheap, excuse the pun. |
lexphin,
I have been using copper beading cones inserted into copper end caps. The former are really hard to come by lately. You need to do a Google search. The latter can be had on Ebay. Since I have never used SR's HFTs I cannot comment on how they compare. All I can say is that if you find the right positioning the results can be very impressive with a DIY version of SR's HFTs. I have over 70 in my system -- total cost about $70 vs. $4,200 for 70 SR HFTs. How's that for getting a bang for your audio buck? |
lexphin,
You're welcome. Glad to hear. Where did you source the cones? For placement you need to follow the diagram on Franck Tchang's site. This makes a big difference. |
lexphin,
You were lucky to find them. Are they copper? Franck Tchang's placement is mandatory here. Google Franck Tchang acoustic resonators placement. This will take you to the page on his site with the diagrams. He is the master. Everyone else followed him. |
Any extras you can put on other components and tweaks. I have them on DAC, transport and other devices. |
lexphin,
Copper is good. There are also silver cones but they are not easy to find. Franck Tchang's placement is perfect in my system. I would be interested in knowing your impressions. SR uses crystals under the screen. Audio-Magic copied this in their bells, but with no screen. |
lexphin,
I forgot to mention to place one on the ceiling -- at the crossing of the diagonals from one corner to the other, in the exact middle of the ceiling -- as per SR. Zilplex also uses the same location.
geoffkait,
Franck Tchang has saved us a lot of trouble by homing in for us -- identifying the best locations for his Acoustic Resonators. This works well for my own cone-style resonators a la HFT. SR, Zilplex and Audio-Magic following with their own location maps for their resonators, bowls and bells. Of course, we can add or subtract as needed using a meter and/or trial and error.
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geoffkait,
In my system Franck's basic diagram works very well. Franck eliminated a lot of the guess work for me. YMMV. |
lexphin,
I'm very glad to hear you are getting such spectacular results -- like me. Franck Tchang did not create his guide out of thin air. He is the original master regarding resonator placement. Everyone else followed him. Of course, variations and adjustments may further refine things. But my experience is that he got this dead right. Your experience reinforces my feeling that his placements are a good place to start -- and possibly to finish.
geoffkait,
Have you actually tried what I and lexphin are reporting here with Frank Tchang's placements using DIY resonators -- and then tried out your own theory to compare? Or is this all just speculation on your part?
With all due respect, it is one thing to quote Franck Tchang for the sake of debate. It is another thing to talk from your personal experience. Since you said in your post, "Who knows ..." may we assume that you do not know from your personal experience and are just enjoying the debate? |
geoffkait,
Simply being direct and to the point. You stated, " ... you’re only guessing if you don’t use a SPL meter." Do you mean that Frank Tchang was only guessing? But then you stated, "It [Franck's diagram] will get you around 50% of my SPL meter method." If so, nice to hear Franck made some good guesses and that your method is twice as good as Franck's guess work.
asvjerry,
My room is indeed untidy -- but the sound is good. |
The sand has to be dry. If you are taking it off the beach on a dry day it may feel dry but it will still take some airing out to get rid of the residual moisture. |
geoffkait,
I just checked your own placement diagram on your site. I see you are using some of the same placements as Franck Tchang. |
geoffkait,
You stated, "Far be it from me to beat a dead horse but Franck Tchang’s diagram was designed SPECIFICALLY for HIS Special pure Gold, Silver, Platinum and Basic acoustic resonators thus are doomed to FAIL for the knock-off attempts of cheap DIYers. If a DIYer gets good result with Franck Tchang’s diagram it means you were lucky."
Frank Tchang's placements were designed for his resonators. Correct. But this does not mean, ipso facto, that other resonators will not also benefit from these carefully worked out placements. In fact, logic may lead some people to believe that because they worked so well for Franck they may also work well for others since all resonators have one thing in common -- they resonate. The speculation that they are "thus "doomed to fail for so-called knock-off resonators is a non sequitur. Simply because an application is designed for one specific product does not logically meant that it is disqualified from working with other similar products.
So, I believe this horse is far from dead. And it is obvious that others feel the same way, too. We have the examples of Synergistic Research, Zilplex and Audio-Magic following right behind Franck Tchang. And here on the forum we have the example of lexphin who tried his DIYs out using the Franck Tchang placements and got great results -- just like me. Oh, I forgot. This is all just a matter of luck. Franck Tchang was just guessing -- and the rest of us are just lucky because he guessed right.
Although sand may be considered by some (not sure how many) to be passe it works very well, which is what matters. So, cheap DIYers can take solace in the fact that sand gets the job done -- cheaply. The fact that sand is silica and that glass microspheres are also silica may be the reason why. |
kavakat1,
I used to use ERS paper around cables but the SQ reacted badly. |
geoffkait,
Is there an explanation for this improvement related to storage? What kind of improvement can be expected? |
geoffkait,
When you state that "I never said Franck Tchang’s diagram wouldn’t work at all", may I respectfully draw attention to your statement that Franck’s placements "are doomed to FAIL for the knock-off attempts of cheap DIYers ". And to your statement that " ... you’re only guessing if you don’t use a SPL meter." I do not think that Franck Tchang was just guessing. I think he went about this very methodically. Otherwise, his placements -- even for so-called "knock-off attempts of cheap DIYers" -- would not work as well as they do. In fact, if they did not work so well across the board I am sure this would have been reported a long time ago starting with Stereo Times and 6 Moons, then moving down the line to Zilplex, Synergistic Research and Audio-Magic. But such is not the case. On the contrary. So, you and I respectfully agree to disagree.
I have no experience with your resonators so I cannot comment on their effectiveness nor can I compare them to resonators made by other makers -- or my own DIY version. But may I respectfully note that you earlier mentioned that you "... started designing and selling acoustic resonators before acoustic resonators were even a gleam in Franck Tchang’s eye ...". But in a more recent post I note that you refer to your resonators being around for 4 or 5 years. Franck Tchang's resonators came out in 2004.
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geoffkait,
Since you seem to have experience with horizontal storage can you be a bit more specific other than your reference to mumbling?
jkbtn,
I use copper beading cones inserted in copper caps. I have no idea if brass will work as well. Never used brass. Give it a go and let us know how this works out. According to Franck Tchang, different metals give different results. Hence his use of various metals in his resonators. Although you may get good results with brass, of course you would need to A/B test in order to ascertain the difference between brass and other metals.
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geoffkait,
Thanks for this interesting information. |
